~ Psychological Empowerment Center

Hatha Yoga

The picture was taken on Maruthvamalla Hill, Kaniyakumari-India, October 18, 2014

You may be often hear people say some names of yoga, such as Hatha Yoga, Astanga Yoga, Bikram Yoga, Acro Yoga, Couple Yoga, Swing Yoga, and many names. Here, I won’t explain about all that type. I just want to explain you about the traditional yoga, called Hatha Yoga. It is the basic yoga from India, the traditional way. By learning Hatha Yoga, you will learn the basic meaning of yoga, the philosophy of yoga, the anatomy, and what we should manage out food intake.

Deborah R. Cohen explains that Hatha yoga is a systematic discipline which uses the body as a tool to quiet the mind. Through slow, deliberate movement, one comes to experience and understand the particular patterns and tendencies of the body and at the same time to understand the particular patterning of the contents of one’s consciousness, one’s mental and emotional landscape. It is a meditative discipline where the body is the object of attention so that the awareness is present-focused.

“As a clinical psychologist, do you think yoga is a good way to treat people with mental problem?”, my friends asked me.
As a clinical psychologist and yogi (a practitioner of yoga), I could say, “Yes, I do.” But, it depends on the type of mental problem and how the client practice yoga. Yoga have benefit to people’s mental health if they do it for long period. I read some researches that present yoga have benefit for body and mind. By doing yoga, we train our brain to focus on one thing, such as body, breath, or the pose that we made.

Is yoga the best way therapy for mental problem?
Of course not, yoga is not the best way. There are a lot of psychotherapies that psychologist could use for their clients. It depends on the problem, the personality, the behavior, the ability, and many things. One therapy methods are suitable for some clients or some mental problems, whereas it can’t be use for all people and all condition.